Sifting through countless of stocks in the Financial Services industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Essent Group Ltd., Palomar Holdings or Inc. because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Essent Group Ltd., Palomar Holdings and Inc. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Essent Group Ltd., Palomar Holdings and Inc.

Essent Group Ltd., through its subsidiaries, provides private mortgage insurance and reinsurance, and title insurance and settlement services to mortgage lenders, borrowers, and investors in the United States. It operates through two segments, Mortgage Insurance and Reinsurance. The company’s mortgage insurance products include primary, pool, and master policy. It also provides information technology maintenance and development services; customer support-related services; underwriting consulting services to third-party reinsurers; and contract underwriting services, as well as credit risk management products. In addition, the company offers title insurance and settlement services; and title insurance underwriting services. It serves the originators of residential mortgage loans, such as regulated depository institutions, mortgage banks, credit unions, and other lenders. Essent Group Ltd. was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Palomar Holdings, Inc., a specialty insurance company, provides property and casualty insurance to individuals and businesses in the United States. The company offers personal and commercial specialty insurance products, including residential and commercial earthquake; fronting; and inland marine and other property products, such as inland marine, Hawaii hurricane, excess national property, residential flood, and other property products, as well as assumed reinsurance and crop insurance products. It markets and distributes its products through retail agents, program administrators, wholesale brokers, and strategic partnerships. The company was formerly known as GC Palomar Holdings and changed its name to Palomar Holdings, Inc. The company was incorporated in 2013 and is headquartered in La Jolla, California.

Latest Financial Services and Essent Group Ltd., Palomar Holdings, Inc. Stock News

As of July 31, 2026, Essent Group Ltd. had a $6.1 billion market capitalization, compared to the Financial Services median of $2.4 million. Essent Group Ltd.’s stock is up 1.5% in 2026, up 0.3% in the previous five trading days and up 17.64% in the past year.

Currently, Essent Group Ltd.’s price-earnings ratio is 9.4. Essent Group Ltd.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $1.3 billion with a 53.6% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 5.8%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $7.217 per share for the current fiscal year. Essent Group Ltd. currently has a 2.1% dividend yield.

As of July 31, 2026, Palomar Holdings, Inc. had a $3.6 billion market cap, putting it in the 62nd percentile of all stocks. Palomar Holdings, Inc.’s stock is down 0.7% in 2026, down 2.7% in the previous five trading days and up 2.68% in the past year.

Currently, Palomar Holdings, Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 18.7. Palomar Holdings, Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $980.3 million with a 20.1% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 59.7%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $9.885 per share for the current fiscal year. Palomar Holdings, Inc. does not currently pay a dividend.

How We Compare Essent Group Ltd., Palomar Holdings and Inc. Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Essent Group Ltd., Palomar Holdings and Inc.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

Learn more about A+ Investor here!

Sign Up to Receive a Free Special Report Showing How A+ Grades Can Help You Make Smarter Investment Decisions

Essent Group Ltd., Palomar Holdings and Inc. Growth Grades

Company	Ticker	Growth
Essent Group Ltd.	ESNT	B
Palomar Holdings, Inc.	PLMR	B

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

Essent Group Ltd. has a Growth Score of 73, which is Strong. Palomar Holdings, Inc. has a Growth Score of 69, which is Strong.

The Growth Grade Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Growth Grade breakdown above, both Essent Group Ltd., Palomar Holdings and Inc. have a grade of B. For investors who focus solely on a company’s upward growth, further research should be conducted into both companies’ other financial metrics before deciding whether to invest.

Essent Group Ltd., Palomar Holdings and Inc.’s Momentum Grades

Company	Ticker	Momentum
Essent Group Ltd.	ESNT	C
Palomar Holdings, Inc.	PLMR	C

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

Essent Group Ltd. has a Momentum Score of 58, which is Average. Palomar Holdings, Inc. has a Momentum Score of 49, which is Average.

The Momentum Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Essent Group Ltd., Palomar Holdings or Inc. has a strong enough Momentum Grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Essent Group Ltd., Palomar Holdings or Inc. is the better investment when it comes to momentum.

Essent Group Ltd., Palomar Holdings and Inc.’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company	Ticker	Earnings Estimate
Essent Group Ltd.	ESNT	D
Palomar Holdings, Inc.	PLMR	B

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

Essent Group Ltd. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 34, which is Negative. Palomar Holdings, Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 63, which is Positive.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade Winner: Palomar Holdings, Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade breakdown above, Palomar Holdings, Inc. has a better Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade than Essent Group Ltd.. For those who are specifically looking for companies with better short-term prospects when compared to other companies in the same industry, Palomar Holdings, Inc. could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Other Essent Group Ltd., Palomar Holdings and Inc. Grades

In addition to Growth, Estimate Revisions and Momentum, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Quality.

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the ranking of key metrics. Specifically, the quality grade is the percentile rank of the composite of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and F-Score.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Essent Group Ltd., Palomar Holdings and Inc. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Essent Group Ltd., Palomar Holdings or Inc. Stock?

Overall, Essent Group Ltd. stock has a Growth Score of 73, Momentum Score of 58 and Estimate Revisions Score of 34.

Palomar Holdings, Inc. stock has a Growth Score of 69, Momentum Score of 49 and Estimate Revisions Score of 63.

Comparing Essent Group Ltd., Palomar Holdings and Inc.’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.